The AuctionBytes Blog has been giving a voice to online merchants since its launch in 2005. Named one of the world's top 30 blogs in 2008 by "Blogging Heroes." Weigh in with your thoughts on the joys and pitfalls of selling online.

By: David Steiner

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Feedback on eBay certainly has taken a few left turns since Pierre's initial concept that allowed trading partners to rate each other. In probably the most dramatic deviation, Sellers will no longer be allowed to leave Negative or Neutral feedback for Buyers. There are some other changes, which can be found here: http://pages.ebay.com/services/forum/new.html but this is the most interesting paragraph:

What changes are being made to the eBay Feedback system?

There are five key elements to the new Feedback system being introduced in the first half of 2008:

1. Beginning in February, buyers and sellers will be able to earn up to one Feedback per week from the same trading partner. Today, members may only affect each other's Feedback scores one time, regardless of the number of transactions between the parties. This change will both encourage repeat transactions and reward good service. 2. Sellers will no longer be able to leave negative or neutral Feedback for buyers. This change will occur in May, 2008. 3. Removal of negative and neutral Feedback left by members who are suspended or who fail to respond to the Unpaid Item Process (UPI). 4. Positive Feedback percentage will be based on the past 12 months of Feedback, rather than lifetime, since it is most indicative of the seller's recent performance. 5. Restrictions on when Feedback can be left: * Buyers must wait three days before leaving negative or neutral Feedback * Instead of 90 days, members will be able to leave Feedback for 60 days

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We'll be speaking with John Donohoe later today, so if you have any specific questions, post them here before noon, and we'll try to incorporate the best ones in our interview.

Call 1-877-222-0856 and leave a 60 second message about what you think of these changes.

by: Steven

THE EBAY BOYCOTT will be in force from February 18th - February 25th.''

Thanks Elle

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: Steven

Tue Feb 5 10:15:16 2008

So when we use our vacation settings We can also put a msg in our store stating our dissatifaction in a polite way.Lets all formulate a msg so there can be no individual storeowner being victimised.

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: E-bayer

Tue Feb 5 10:25:37 2008

This issue has become a Big Embarrassment for them.The longer it stays around, more and more people are going to wonder what gives here.

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: rose777

Tue Feb 5 10:34:00 2008

eBay Queen please share your eBay UserID so we can read your feedback once these changes take place. It will make for fun reading!

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: E-bayer

Tue Feb 5 10:46:11 2008

The issue of embarrassment was for e-bay.Learn how to read.

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: KKC

Tue Feb 5 12:16:22 2008

Addressing the trolls, scamming buyers and all other dissatisfied buyers posts.

The majority of these so called buyers that are complaining are without a doubt in my mind in need of a life. If in fact (if you are not posting) just to take up space for the sake of B/S. GET REAL!

(If) in fact the majority of these complaining buyers are legit., the stupidity of their posting comments are enough to assume that they are the masters of their bad buying experiences.

Just because a buyer pays for an item I don't consider the transaction to be completed until the item has been received by the buyer. The buyer then has the opportunity to voice any legitimate concern. Not turn around and say ''I thought that meant'' ~ ''I don't really like the color'' ~ ''I thought it was bigger then that or smaller then that'' and on and on.

Regardless, of how good and detailed your description is including payment and shipping policy, measurements, shipping calculator and numerous pictures there are the buyers that will find a problem with the item no matter what if they are looking to get their money back.

Why should I give positive feedback and then have the buyer turn around and want their money back because of buyers remorse or they find the item cheaper and want a refund or do a charge back? Those buying numerous items in any given month (shopaholics) and are unable to pay. Those with unhappy spouses and especially those buyers that are over extending their credit cards.

Feedback should not be mandatory!

A neutral should be just that. I should give a buyer positive feedback when it took 21 days to receive the the payment vs. the seven days stated in the lising?

It's about time the buyers take responsibility for their buying habits. The majority are impulse buyers and don't read the listings or assume what is stated in the listing doesn't pertain to them.

There is no legitimate reason for a buyer complaining about an item description when they never bothered to ask the seller questions. There should be no valid reason to give money back to the assuming buyer. These buyers seem to think that they are buying on approval. They change their mind and want their money back and all the shipping fees. I should give feedback first and not know what the buyers true motivation is. What about the buyers that have an identical item that has chips and etc., and is looking for a replacement at the sellers expense. Complaining the item was damaged or not as described in order to do a switch. Yes, there are seller/buyers that do that also.

If you are a buyer that seems to have a problem with sellers with most of your transactions..I recommend you stay away from all online selling venues and you go to buy your items at places where you can physically pickup and examine the desired item. Sounds to me that you are the type of buyer that makes online purchases to scam sellers. Buyers like you are the very reason sellers should not give feedback unitl the item has been received and any issues are properly addressed!

DONAHOE: Maybe if you would read the posts from the (majority) of unhappy buyers you would realize the absurdity of their comments and complaints. No doubt in my mind the complaints Ebay receives are coming from the same type of buyers that are as irresponsible as their posts. Along with a percentage of complaints coming from the buyers, buyer/sellers that have been removed from Ebay.

It's to bad your arrogance, ego and lack of knowledge has crippled you from making any intellectual changes to your proposed plans going into effect when becoming CEO.

By the time you figure this out the sellers will be long gone and possibly you too!

One thing that we can be thankful for is you have given us warning as to what to expect from you. Not like Whitman and Cobb with their last minute sucker punches.

The investors were calling for a change. I don't think what they had in mind was to have the new CEO ruin what had already been ruined by more poor management.

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: Ch Astier

Tue Feb 5 15:41:39 2008

Total bullshit ! An auction involve 2 parties that have to be handeld with equal respect and deserve the same rights. There are probably as many dishonest buyers as bad sellers (if not more, because trackability of sellers is much higher than for buyers..). This is complete nonsense. The guy who invented that should be fired immediatly.

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: Ming the Merciless

Tue Feb 5 16:30:06 2008

sukki:

You ask an excellent question.

In the past or perhaps even currently -- which I'll not discuss further in this forum to avoid being identified by the ebay trolls here and retaliated against -- I have given/am giving *much* useful information to more than one law firm suing ebay.

In one case, one of the lawyers suing ebay said he/she believed that ebay should be investigated under the RICO statutes which are the anti racketeering and organized crime federal statutes the government uses to prosecute the mafia and other organized groups.

This is a powerful statement that affirmed what I'd been thinking for several years, and it comes from an attorney who has/had access to many ebay internal documents and other internal ebay information obtained through the discovery process that the rest of us didn't/don't have access to.

His/Her comment was NOT made flippantly or in jest. He/she was quite serious.

So, sukki, I am willing to talk to any law firm willing to file a class action, but only after some others take some initiative. Been there, done that.

I spend/spent a great deal of time funneling information to lawyers with thusfar nothing happening that would be any of help to most of us including me concerning the issues we care about. I've done what I've done because I *strongly* believe that ebay MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE for their sleazy (and possibly worse) policies and even sleazier administration of these policies that have ruined business and damaged people.

So my bottom line is while I'm willing to help -- a lot if necessary -- I want to see some others put themselves out there as I ALREADY have.

I want some assurances that any law firm willing to take the case won't give away everything in a court ordered arbitration in exchange for ebay patings their fees, that a secret, sealed settlement will NOT be the outcome as most cases against ebay are with ebay probably agreeing to pay their fees, and that NO out of court settlement would be negotiated that only give sellers a partial victory.

NO COMPROMISES! Sellers have compromised and been compromised by ebay quite enough.

SUE VICTORIOUSLY!

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: Barry

Tue Feb 5 20:45:26 2008

When and if the goes into effect,I for one will leave ebay. Why don't the just do away with all FEEDBACK.Barry

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: MidnightGreyWolfpup

Tue Feb 5 21:03:15 2008

This is definitely the push I needed to leave EBay completely.

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: Grumpy Gryphon

Tue Feb 5 22:02:24 2008

@Ming the Merciless

If your feedback rating is 99.99% positive, then I'd tend to think your complaints are baseless. But you do seem to have this chip on your shoulder about how every buyer is now going to try and scam you out of your stuff. Personally, as a buyer, I have only ever left one negative. That was I made a purchase from a seller that just decided to keep listing and stop shipping. Almost everyone that bought something from him after Nov2007 left the same comment - ''Never received.'' 50 in a row, something's wrong.

As to your complaint that I do not know anything about your business practices, you would be 100% positive. Nor did I ever state that I did know anything personally about you. Please read the posts carefully.

What I do know is that the general level of hostility and stupidity on eBay has become a lot worse in the last year. If you wish to resort to name calling, please do it somewhere else.

I stand by my statements. Most sellers are great, and just want to make a buck. But more and more, I see sellers working the system, which in the end costs everyone.

Since you don't seem to believe that anyone on eBay would dare charge inflated shipping, please check item #300194193590. You'll notice that this seller is charging $29.95 to ship 2 DIMMS of RAM. That, my good seller, is the abuse I speak of. To charge that much to ship <1lb. is criminal. It ends today, so please check quickly.

And last, but not least, your concerns about my purchasing something from you are unfounded. I find that as fees get passed on more and more, and sellers hawking the used/odd/one-off stuff that I find myself interested in (and what I used to sell) get bumped off in favor of drop-shippers with stores, I buy less and less. At least, less from eBay. Newegg.com and Amazon.com, with a lesser amount going to DeepDiscountDVD.com. Why buy from ebay when I can get it with a warranty? This comment section has been invaluable in pointing out some of the other auction venues, and I have been checking them out.

To wrap things up, you come off as a seller that thinks that everyone is out to get you. If you actually ship like you say you do, then I applaud you and tell you that this is less common than it used to be. But people who rant like you do, resort to childish name-calling when something doesn't go thier way, and simply act like they own the place really ruin the experience.

(If you can't find my user ID, you aren't trying hard enough.)

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: Ming the Merciless

Tue Feb 5 22:50:58 2008

The bad buyers I and others are referring to just that: BAD buyers. NO ONE is referring to all and even most buyers so it's difficult to understand why you've taken my and others' comments so terribly personally when you've read the horror stories here.

We all know that some sellers recover most of their profit with exobitant shipping charges, and every ad has a link at the bottom of the page for you and every other ebay member to report the listing. That process takes maybe thre seconds. I've reported dozens and vurtually all of them get removed from the site.

I charge only actual shipping costs and recover ZERO profit from any form of shipping. ZERO. In fact, I LOSE money on shipping every week because I'll ship as much as a customer orders for $4.60.

Unlike some of my competitors, I don't sell damaged, refurbished, or used items -- only new items except for a very, very small percentage of certain valuable and legitimately vintage items which are in demand, have verifiable histories, and are in excellent condition.

So take your 100% incorrect assumptions elsewhere and complain about specific problems with specific sellers or their ads to ebay.

The points you've raised in your collective posts don't describe my business practices, and I doubt whether they apply to very many sellers who post here.

So, grumpy, why not be part of the solution rather than part of the problem?

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: sukki

Wed Feb 6 03:55:29 2008

Ming,

Thanks for your explanation. It seems as if you believe that all lawyers are looking to be bought by eBay. (Gee, what a novel thought!). So why do you think the law firm you've been listing would be any different?

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: sukki

Wed Feb 6 03:58:50 2008

I have also been following a New York Times blog that appeared on Jan. 29, together with all of the horrific readers' comments that followed. Tonight someone posted that one more change eBay will be implementing is that listing an item for under 1.00 will be prohibited. Is this true? Is it new? If so, I wonder how I missed it. Here's the article with the comments:

by: john

Wed Feb 6 06:39:07 2008

Having just closed my 3rd party ebay auction manager and image hosting company account, It was interesting to note that the automated help system which lists [most frequently asked questions] has changed from, How do I bulk load images] or [How do I schedule auctions] and similar user interface problems, to [HOW DO I CLOSE MY ACCOUNT?] seems like 6 words paints 1 picture, instead 1 picture painting a 1000 words

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: Steven

Wed Feb 6 10:09:40 2008

I am now looking seriously at UBID and onlineauction.comIts time to break free its going to be hard but I have to try these other sites.Have any of you tried these auction sites?Please all don’t forget to support the EBAY boycott 18 – 24 FEB.Use vacation settings and if EBAY offers free listings use the date option to post Auctions after the boycott 10c extra.

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: Sue

Wed Feb 6 11:35:01 2008

I'm done selling on ebay. It's the most ridiculous thing I've heard! I've had buyers from hell before. Had to block emails and even call the police. Won't bother to torture myself again.

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: Steven

Wed Feb 6 12:03:44 2008

Craig's List is looking better all the time.

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: PlaywithHair

Wed Feb 6 13:00:56 2008

Another reason to get our own site and begin transitioning clients to our online store instead of Ebay.

A bad ebayer deserves bad feedback. We dont leave retaliatory feedback, we are completely honest and reliable. Being treated this way is the final straw.

Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay

by: drew

Wed Feb 6 14:03:12 2008

Steven,Did you know that ebay owns a 25% share in Craigslist?

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